ACCEPTED - A BSC 10 year reunion PREQUEL!
by MissHWrites
Summary: All of the girls are seniors and applying to college..but Claudia just doesn't have the grades to do the same. What is she going to do if her friends go to different schools and they all move away?
1. Chapter 1

I watched the pink swirl around and mix with the water before it became one color, which completed the petal of the flower I was painting. I don't normally paint with watercolors but now that winter in full effect and seeing everyone's dreary looking lawns and gardens covered with snow, I guess you can say I got a bit inspired to paint something colorful. That's how I always create art. Something needs to just "come" to me and then I start creating. I decided to stop there and let my piece dry before I start on the leaves and stems because I don't want any green mixing in with my pink.

Yes, I'm an artist but I guess I should introduce myself as well. My name is Claudia Kishi. I'm 17 years old and I'm a senior at Stoneybrook High School. My family is Japanese but I was born in America and so were my parents. I live with my mom and dad in Stoneybrook, Connecticut and recently my 20 year old sister, Janine moved back in. She had already finished up her credits for the school year so she's planning to get a job here in Stoneybrook for a few months until she heads back to school for summer classes. Why anyone would voluntarily go to school during the summer is beyond me but she is actually a certified genius. She already has a college degree and now she's working on her SECOND. Unlike Janine, school doesn't come very naturally to me and I can't even see myself with ANY degree, let alone two. I know I am a good artist though and I'm glad that I'm at least good at something. Just then, I heard my Mom's voice yell up the stairs, "Claudia! Come downstairs, please! It's time for dinner!"

I definitely was hungry, but not for any of the healthy stuff my mom always makes. I pulled open my desk drawer, pulled out a chocolate ring-ding and shoved that in my mouth before I made my way to our kitchen table. Now I'd only have room for a little bit of whatever my mom cooked. Sunday dinners always made me happy. Not because I enjoyed hanging out with my smart family and listening to their intellectual and boring conversation but because it was one day closer to going back to school and hanging out with my best friends.


	2. Chapter 2

As I was getting ready for school the next day, I heard the repeated honking of a car horn outside. That belonged to the car of my best friend, Stacey McGill, who was there to pick me up. I don't have a car yet but I can drive pretty well. I just had a really hard time passing the written test and it took me three tries so I just got my license a few months ago. I hope my parents will buy me a car before the end of the school year.

"Hey you," I said to my best friend when I greeted her outside.

"Hey Claud," she said back before we sped off. Stacey wasn't really a bad driver, but I actually drive a lot more carefully than she does.

School was pretty typical. It being a Monday, we had no homework to review, no tests or pop quizzes and just the same old boring stuff that I don't enjoy. I do try very hard to pay attention though and do the best I can, especially after I got held back a grade in middle school. Luckily, I got caught up and moved back into the proper grade with all of my friends. Since none of them are in any of my classes, I was looking forward to my lunch period when I can see them all again. However, I was caught off guard a bit by the conversation that awaited me.

I sat down next to my best friend, Stacey as she continued her conversation with another one of my friends named Kristy Thomas.

"It always comes down to numbers with me. I'm not sure what path that is actually going to take me down but it definitely needs to be strong in math," she said.

Kristy said, "Well, for me, it's gotta be business. I can definitely see myself running my own company someday."

"Well, it's not like you haven't run a business before. That's a perfect choice for you. Any ideas where?" asked Stacey.

Kristy answered "Well, Watson suggested Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania but I'm not sure I want to move that far away."

Stacey said "Um, Pennsylvania isn't that far away, Kristy."

"I know," she replied. "I just don't like the idea of not being near my family."

"Yeah, it's a scary thought and I understand. It would make me nervous to leave too..but it's also kind of exciting!" said Stacey.

As I sat down at the table, I asked, "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, were just talking about applying to college," interjected Mary Anne Spier, another one of my oldest friends.

"Oh," was all I said.

I already decided a while ago that college wasn't in the cards for me so I guess that's why the conversation startled me a bit. I didn't realize that winter was when people started applying. As they continued talking, I looked at all my friends. Stacey, my best friend with her blonde curly hair, always dressed nice. That day, she was dressed very sophisticated in a black turtleneck, dark blue jeans and silver hoop earrings. She also brought a black snow jacket with a (fake) fur collar which was laying on the seat next to her. Kristy dressed more like a tomboy and was in her usual white turtleneck and jeans and her brown hair was in a ponytail. Then there was Mary Anne Spier. She was in a dark blue button up collared shirt, some black leggings and since her brown hair was too short to put back, she just kept it down. They hadn't changed much since since our middle school days and I'm glad we all still hang out. We used to have a babysitting business called The Baby-sitters Club but as as we've gotten older, we got way too busy so we ended our club last year but now Stacey and I have real jobs. Stacey works at the mall at Steven E. and I work at the mall too, at The Sweet Factory.

As my mind drifted back to the conversation, Kristy nervously asked me, "So..how about you, Claud? Have you been giving it any thought?"

"What? To college? Oh, no not really," I told her.

"Why not?" she asked.

Just then, Stacey just looked at me sympathetically. She knew as well as I do that I couldn't get into college.

"Kristy, I can't. I mean, I'm..I don't think I'm going to college," I stammered.

"Oh, Claudia. You really should, " she said.

Obviously Kristy has never looked at my report card, otherwise she wouldn't be saying this to me. I really didn't want to get into a debate with her about it either but she continued talking.

"There's always Stoneybrook Community College," she said.

"Oh yes! They let everyone in," stated Mary Anne.

"Gee, thanks," I muttered.

"I'm sorry. That's not what I meant," she said back.

I wasn't mad at any of my friends but this really wasn't a conversation that I wanted to be a part of so I politely excused myself and went to the restroom for the rest of lunch. Sitting alone in the stall, I just tried to relax. No, I wasn't going to cry. I just needed some time to process all that information. It never really crossed my mind up until no but it finally happened. We were halfway through senior year and the possibility of all of us being separated was real.


	3. Chapter 3

I was feeling a little light-headed by last period since I had skipped lunch so Stacey agreed to take me to the mall for a quick snack in the food court before I had to go to work at 3:30. I got some fries and pulled out some red gummy bears I had in my backpack. Stacey wasn't eating anything but that's probably because she didn't want her blood sugar getting too high before dinner. See, Stacey has diabetes, which means her body can't process sugar. She also has to take several injections a day of something called insulin. She also can't eat too many sweets or junk food, which would kill me because I LOVE junk food. Sometimes I feel bad for her but she's had it since she was 12 and she handles it very well.

Once we sat down, Stacey took a deep breath and said to me, "So..I wanted to talk to you about what happened at lunch today."

"Oh, it's no big deal," I said truthfully. "I just didn't have anything to say and I can't really relate so I just left."

"Are you upset?" she asked.

"Um, not really but you guys talking about college just reminds me that I'm stupid," I sighed.

Stacey said sternly, "Stop that. You are NOT stupid."

"Well, I can't get into school like the rest of you," I muttered.

"Well, Mary Anne was right. You can get into SCC," she said

I replied, "but why would I want to? What classes would I even take?"

"You could just take some general classes, like English or Science," she suggested.

"Stace, that doesn't interest me," I said.

"You have to do something. You shouldn't just go work full time right after high school. It will kill your youth. That's what Sam Thomas did, remember? Now he's miserable," she said before then asking, "What about some more elective ones? Like photography or..even an art class?"

Art Class? Well that sounded pretty ridiculous to me and I asked "Why on Earth would I need to take an art class?"

Stacey shrugged and said "I dunno. Just for fun, I guess."

"Um.." I drifted off.

"You're an amazing artist, Claud. I'll bet there is so much more to learn about it though," she said.

"Not at SCC," I said.

I could tell by Stacey's face that she was definitely thinking about something so I asked "What is it?"

"Have you thought about going to art school?" she asked.

"No, not really "

"Well THAT would definitely be a place you'd thrive. You'd get straight A's too!" she said with a smile.

Much like the cafeteria conversation, I really didn't want to discuss this topic right now so I told my best friend, "I know you mean well but that wouldn't work. I don't really want to talk about it either, ok?"

She sighed and said "Alright, alright, but will you PLEASE do me a favor?"

"What?" I asked.

"Will you at least talk to Mrs. Gordon? She may have advice for you," she said.

Oh yes. Good ol' Mrs. Gordon. She was the school guidance counselor and as someone who struggled with school on a regular basis, I was a frequent visitor to her office. She definitely did give me some good advice over the years but I wasn't sure she could help me much in this case. Still, I'd make an appointment with her to humor my friend but also because I genuinely liked Mrs. Gordon so I told Stacey, "Ok. THAT I can do."

She grinned and said "Good!" and she reached for one of my fries before adding "Sorry. I just need a few to tide me over until dinner."

"Oh, that's fine," I said.

She then eyeballed my bag of gummi bears, shook her said and said "You really should lighten up on all those red dye #2 filled snacks, Claud. I heard that stuff can give you cancer."

"Psshh.." I scoffed. "Cancer? ME? I think my body actually needs this stuff to be healthy," I joked.

Stacey said, "Ok whatever."

We eventually parted ways a little bit later as I headed off to my job at the candy store. I had to work until 7 that night, which meant I had to take the city bus home. I got a 20 minute break during my shift plus I'd have a 30 minute ride home on the bus. I hoped that would be enough time to finish my homework.


	4. Chapter 4

As promised, the next afternoon I found myself in Mrs. Gordon's office explaining my predicament.

"I am so glad you came to me, Claudia," said . "You still have time."

"Time for what?" I asked.

"To apply to college, of course," she said.

I said, "Oh no, that's not why I'm here."

"Why ARE you here, then?" she asked.

I sighed and told her, "Alright. I promised my friend I'd talk to you because she thinks I should go to college."

"You should," she replied.

"Well, I really don't want to go to college but I was told that I shouldn't go work full time either. I just work at a candy shop," I said.

She sighed as she said, "Look. We both know this hasn't been easy for you and school has been a long haul BUT you do have options. I gotta tell you, college IS very important and you should go."

I looked down as I said, "but I can't get into a good school."

"You aren't getting into Harvard, no but you can get in SOMEWHERE and I'm saying college is important because it's your time to grow, to learn, to meet new people, to experience new things. It's a very exciting time in a teenager's life, away from their parents and living their own life. You've told me many times how frustrating it is to live in your sister's shadow and to have nothing in common with your parents."

Remembering what Stacey said, I knew of only one option so I said to her, "well, my best friend suggested art school."

She smiled as she replied, "and that's exactly what I was going to suggest to you. You need to focus on your strengths."

I began to say, "but I know everything there is to know about art.."

She coughed and choked a bit on her coffee so I asked, "are you ok?"

She coughed again and said, "I don't mean to laugh, Claudia but there is SO much more to art that you even know. I'm sorry, honey but no, you don't know everything there is to know and that proves my point. Art college would be a great opportunity to gain that knowledge. Plus, those schools accept based on talent, not stellar grades."

Now I really felt stupid so I didn't say anything in response.

"I can definitely help you find a school that will suit you but we need to get on this quick, before it's too late to apply. I guess my next question is if you want to stay local or to go to another state."

"Oh, I don't really know. I mean, I guess it depends on my friends," I answered.

She shook her head and said, "this isn't about your friends. This is about YOU," she stated.

I've never thought about living anywhere else but I guess it wouldnt be a terrible idea, as long as I were close enough to Stoneybrook to visit so I said "I guess I could try something different."

Mrs. Gordon then said, "Ok, so this is what I'll do. I'm going to gather info for at least five schools. I think if you throw that many at the wall, one of them will stick, if you get what I'm saying."

I smiled and said, "yes, I do."

"I'm making this my top priority. I'll have everything you need in 24 hours. Can you come back and see me tomorrow?" she asked.

Knowing I needed to make an appointment, I asked, "Do you have anything available?"

She smiled and said, "Bring your food with you and come see me on your lunch period, ok?"

"Ok," I said.

I was feeling a but overwhelmed as I walked out of her office. Less than 30 minutes ago, I went in there only because Stacey asked me to and already knowing that it would be a waste of time. Now? Now someone is going to give me information about where I should go to college? Still, I decided not to get my hopes up so I wasn't going to say anything about this to anyone, not even Stacey. Hopefully she wouldn't ask.


	5. Chapter 5

I also decided not to mention the college stuff to my parents either and the next day, I gave my friends the excuse that I had to take a make-up test and couldn't have lunch with them.

When I arrived at Mrs. Gordon's office, she had a few manilla folders sitting on her desk. She smiled when I walked in and said, "Hi Claudia. Please sit down."

I did as I was told and Mrs. Gordon started talking.

"Ok. I only found four schools that I think would suit you. All of them focus more on talent than grades but you still need decent transcripts to get into any of these schools. Now, I haven't looked at your grades yet, but I need to ask. Did you..fail anything?"

I felt slightly embarrassed as I sighed and said, "Yeah, I failed math sophomore year..but I made it up in summer school."

"Hmm..ok. Anything during junior year?" she asked.

I proudly answered "No. I actually worked really hard junior year. I got all 'C's' and one 'B.' In PE."

"Really? Oh, that's wonderful!" she excitedly said before asking, "how about fall semester?"

"I got a D in math and a few C minuses," I replied.

"Ok. I think we can still work around that. You just have to present an amazing portfolio. Now let me tell you about these schools.." she began to say.

It took the entire lunch hour to go over everything and she gave me three options: The first one was The Rhode Island School of Design, the next was The School of Visual Arts in New York City and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. My first choice was obviously New York. Not only was it an exciting place, but I was pretty certain that Stacey wanted to go back to her home city for college. Visions ran through my head of me and Stacey getting an apartment together and living it up in the big city. All three schools would have been fine and every single one still kept me close enough to visit Stoneybrook. The more Mrs. Gordon talked, the more interested I became in the school in Boston and it seemed most suited to my skills and interests and to be honest, it actually got me excited at the possibility of going to an actual college. Being near Stacey was still more important so I decided quickly that New York would be my #1, Boston my #2 and Rhode Island would be #3.

Then I remembered Mrs. Gordon said she had picked 4 schools. Luckily, I didn't need to ask because then she said "Here's the wild card," as she handed me the envelope. I pulled out a thick brochure that said CalArts.

I had never heard of it before so I asked "CalArts? Where is this?"

"It's in California," she answered.

"Oh wow," I said. I didn't know much about California so I could only think of one city. "Is it in Los Angeles?" I asked.

She replied "actually, it's in a town called Valencia. I did some research and it's about 35 minutes outside of L.A."

California is a cool place and I'd been there once before with all of my friends but that wasn't really a place I think I could live. It was way too far but before I could say anything else, she continued on.

"Now what's really interesting about this school is that Disney owns it. A lot of their animators actually went there."

Animation is super cool, obviously but that type of art wasn't anything that I wanted to do myself so I said, "oh, well I don't want to be an animator."

"It's not just for animation. They have tons of fine art programs. Illustration, graphic design, painting, sculpting, even a music program," she said.

Now that actually did sound quite interesting but again, California was way too far and I decided it was best to stick to the first three.

Mrs. Gordon began talking again, going over the entire process of what I needed to do as far as getting my transcripts, then applying, getting 3 portfolios put together, as well as financial aid, applying for scholarships and a ton of other stuff that went over my head. Luckily, she had all of that information down on paper too so I wouldn't miss anything. I had all 4 envelopes under my arm and was just about to leave when Mrs. Gordon said, "We need to get these applications out in the next few weeks so you really can't waste any time."

"Ok," I said. "I'll get to work on these right away." As I was halfway out the door, she said one last thing:

"..and Claudia? You'll need to talk to your parents about this too. Immediately."

Shoot.


	6. Chapter 6

I confided in Stacey first about what I was doing and it made her incredibly happy. I decided to invite Kristy and Mary Anne over to my house to hang out on Friday to tell them the good news as well and I was met with even more support.

"Really, Claud?!" squeaked Mary Anne. "Thats so great!"

"It really is," added Kristy. "I think art school is definitely the way to go and you should never underestimate yourself. You deserve to go to college just as much as anyone else here."

Then Stacey said, "Well, I have good news too!"

Good news? She didn't say anything to me about that so I asked her, "oh yeah? What's that?"

"I have officially applied to college! I sent in my applications to NYU, MIT and..UCLA," she answered.

"UCLA?!" exclaimed Kristy.

Stacey shook her head in slight disbelief and said, "yeah, I know it sounds crazy but Mr. McGee encouraged me to apply and said it would be perfect for me. He actually wrote a letter of recommendation for me. I couldn't really say no to it."

"California, though? You wouldn't know a soul besides Dawn," said Mary Anne, referring to her stepsister and the BSC former alternate officer who moved back to California in 8th grade.

"Look," said Stacey. "I only applied. I haven't been accepted yet and even if I am, NYU is my first choice, obviously."

Kristy then looked at Mary Anne, then at Stacey and I before saying, "well, we both applied to Stoneybrook U."

Stacey lit up and said, "that's awesome! Anywhere else?"

"Not for me," said Mary Anne.

"Well, I did apply at Wharton too, but only because Watson forced me to. I might be able to get into Stoneybrook on a sports scholarship. Wharton is strictly business and I still want to play softball so Stoneybrook U just makes more sense," said Kristy.

I couldn't believe the conversation we were having. All of my friends, including ME were really talking about taking the next step into our future adult lives. In the very room that we used to play in when we were little kids. The room we would meet in when we were just 13 years old and running our baby-sitting business. Now we were talking about college and not only that, were were all going to be close to each other no matter which school we got into.

Now all I needed to do was finish up my applications but before that, I knew it was time to sit down and have a long chat with my parents. Naturally, I regretted it and for good reason. My dad responded exactly as I expected..


	7. Chapter 7

"Well, it's not what I wanted for you, Claudia. You know that," he said.

Deciding to stand up for myself, I responded, "I'm not Janine, ok? I'll never be able to do what she has. I'll never be able to get into regular college. You know it's hard for me. You know what my grades are and you KNOW I got held back!"

I paused, took a deep breath and then added, "and you also know what I'm good at. This is my only opportunity to be able to go to college. Please? Let me do this."

He looked at my mom and asked her, "Riyoko? What do you think?"

She responded, "John, I understand what you're saying." Then she looked at me and said "but I understand what you're saying too, Claudia. This hasn't been easy for me either and it took me a long time to get over you not enjoying academics like the rest of us, but I do know what a talented artist you are. That is something I could never be good at. My only concern is your future. I don't know what type of life and career a college like that could prepare you for."

"That's what college is all about, though, " a voice said behind me. I turned around to look at my sister, who was standing in the doorway. Dressed in a blue sweater vest. With penny loafers and knee socks. As I looked down at my brightly colored clothes, I knew I'd never get used to how different we were.

"Excuse me?" asked my dad.

She repeated herself, "That's what college is all about. To figure out what you want to do. Let's say Claudia goes to art school, takes her classes, and then decides to utilize her skills to take a completely different path than just painting pictures. It happens all the time. There are many careers she could have and I know so many people who have started school with a major in mind and they graduate with something completely different and working in a field that they never thought they would."

My dad said slowly, "Ok. I understand that does happen."

"You want her to go to college, dont you?" Janine asked.

"Well, yes. Of course I do, but-"

She interrupted him and said, "No offense to Claudia but dad, wouldnt you say any college is better than no college at all?"

He replied, "I suppose so, but what's wrong with SCC? She could transfer to a university eventually."

He still wasn't getting it. I said "Dad, I dont want to have that type of education. It doesnt work for me."

"Remember that I took classes at SCC too, Dad. That's not the type of school for her."

I started to cry. I had finally started to get excited at the prospect of college. Mrs. Gordon gave me her full support and so did my friends and I was taking a huge step that I never thought I would but none of it was going to happen without his support.

"Please, Dad," I begged. "I want this. This is my only chance."

"She's right, John," said my mom.

Janine piped in and said to him, "her talent will get her somewhere."

My mom said to me, "I'll support you, honey."

"Me too," my sister said.

Then my dad lifted his head up, looked at me and said, "well, I guess I'm outnumbered here. Do what you have to do, Claudia."

Then he walked out of the room. I can't pretend I wasn't hurt and tears continued to fall from my eyes.

My mom put her hand on my shoulder and said, "he'll come around. Just give him time."

I nodded.

Janine came around to face me and asked, "So what do we need to do now?"

"Well, I need to finish filling out the applications and -"

"Consider it done," she interrupted. "I'll take care of that for you."

"Oh..okay. Mrs. Gordon said I should look into scholarships and financial aid," I said.

My mom said "I will handle that. I'll go gather that information at the library tomorrow. What else?"

A bit dumbfounded, I replied "I need to put together three portfolios."

"Three?" asked my mom. "I thought you said your guidance counselor gave you four options."

"Well yeah, she did but one is in California," I said.

Janine said "Apply anyways. You need as many options for a "yes" as possible. Trust me. Just send them the portfolio you like the least."

"Yeah, I guess I could just do that."

She continued on, "so you better get on it."

As I walked up the stairs, Janine followed. Right before she turned the other way to walk to her bedroom, she said to me, "I'm proud of you for doing this."

That night, I dreamt of my grandmother, Mimi. She passed away when I was in 8th grade and I miss her every day. She was the only person in my family who supported my art. She didn't say anything else in my dream except, "I'm proud of you."

You know what? For the first time in my life, I was proud of myself too.


	8. Chapter 8

The next week was crazy! It felt like I was just running around non-stop, between school and homework, my job and any free minute I had was dedicated to putting together my portfolios. Before I knew it, Friday had rolled around again. It was 9:30 at night and Kristy, Mary Anne and Stacey were all in my room. It felt like a meeting of the BSC only this time, no gossip, no phone calls, no writing in the notebook and instead, all my drawings, paintings, photos of my sculptures and projects were all spread out on the floor. I had to mail in all 4 applications and portfolios the following day and we were getting everything ready. The ones I decided to send to New York and Rhode Island were done and Mary Anne had already packed them and addressed them for me. Now I was working on the portfolios that I needed to send to Massachusetts and California. The Massachusetts College of Art and Design being my first choice, that was definitely the best one I put together. Stacey was a math whiz and I was confident she'd get into MIT. I prayed we would both end up in Massachusetts together but Mrs. Gordon was right. If I'd send all 4 applications out, one was sure to accept me.

It took all night long, but with my friends' help, everything was done, packaged and ready to send out. When Stacey and I arrived at the post office around 4pm, the line was out of the door. I cursed myself for not going in the morning but Stacey and I were so exhausted from the night before that we slept in until almost noon.

We had been in line for about 20 minutes when I started looking at my huge and thick envelopes containing my applications and artwork one by one. New York, Rhode Island..then I stopped. The third envelope was blank. So was the fourth. "Stacey!" I yelled as I held up the two unaddressed envelopes." Her eyes opened wide as she planted her forehead in her palm. "Oh no! Mary Anne forgot to label them?!" I started shaking as I asked, "What do I do? There's a deadline. If I go home now, they'll be closed by the time I get back!" I cried.

Stacey looked down for a minute, then eyeballed the line and said, "I'll go back to your house. I think I have time. The addresses are there, aren't they?"

"Yes," I said. "On my desk."

Stacey raced back to my house to get the addresses. The only problem was I didn't know which envelope contained the better portfolio. I couldn't send the crappy portfolio to my first choice school but they were all packed very strategically and I couldn't open them up. I started panicking but Stacey calmed me down when she got back 15 minutes later and we crudely hand wrote the addresses on my envelopes with a sharpie that Stacey had the sense to grab from my desk. I hope that the schools wouldn't hold that against me. I felt that the thicker envelope was probably the one with the better portfolio so I took a chance and addressed that one to MCAD.

As we got back into Stacey's car, she said to me, "Don't stress about it. You're an amazing artist and I think you'll get into every single school."

That was it. Now it was time to wait.


	9. Chapter 9

Christmas came and went and the weeks rolled by and turned into a month. Then another. It was the beginning of March when the first bit of good news came to our group of friends.

"So it's official!" said Kristy with a beaming smile as we all enjoyed our off campus lunch at the mall food court. "We're both going to be attending Stoneybrook University!"

"Dorm-mates!" said Mary Anne. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"That's so great, you guys," said Stacey.

I chimed in, "it really is. I'm so happy for the both of you."

Kristy then sighed and said, "Watson is a little bummed about Pennsylvania but me getting that softball scholarship was a sign. I know Watson would have paid for me to go to Wharton but I don't want him to."

Stacey then asked Mary Anne, "Have you given any thought to what you want to major in?"

Mary Anne answered, "I'm not sure yet. I've always liked the idea of being a teacher but we'll see."

"You'd be perfect for that," replied Stacey.

"How about you, Stace? Have you heard from any of your schools yet?" Mary Anne asked.

Stacey looked down, shook her head and said, "no, not yet. I'm getting a little worried."

Kristy said, "oh, don't be. I would imagine in the next few weeks, everyone will be getting their acceptance letters."

Being in the same predicament as Stacey, I added, "gosh, I hope so. I haven't gotten one response yet either."

Kristy must have had some weird psychic sense because after Stacey dropped me off at home that afternoon, I checked the mail and saw an envelope from Rhode Island. I waved my hand, trying to get Stacey's attention but she was already too far down the street. I really wanted to open it with her there but I certainly didn't want to wait so instead, I took the envelope inside and opened it by myself in my room.

I pulled out a folded piece of paper with the fancy letterhead and saw my name. It looked so official! I began to read:

"Dear Miss Kishi,

Thank you for your interest in The Rhode Island School of Design. While your portfolio was very impressive, there are many factors involved with gaining acceptance to our institution and after careful consideration, we regret to inform you we are unable to offer you a place in our school at this time."

I didn't bother reading the rest of the letter. What did it matter? I got rejected. Of course I got rejected. I was so excited to finally get a response that it never crossed my mind that a small envelope like that wouldn't be an acceptance.

Yes, I was disappointed but at least I had three more chances and that was my third choice anyway. I decided to call my mom first to tell her the bad news and then I called Stacey. I was greeted with a nasally sounding person in place of my normal best friend. Hmm..she didn't sound sick when she dropped me off.

"Hey Stace. Um, what's going on?" I asked. Instead of talking, she broke into sobs.

"Stacey!" I cried. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I..I..I got rejected," she said in between sobs.

"Oh my gosh. No! HOW?" I asked.

She said "I tried so hard..for nothing."

"I'm so sorry, Stace. Which school was it?" I asked.

"MIT."

Damn. I felt horrible for Stacey but even worse now knowing we wouldn't be together in Massachusetts.

I'm so sorry. Stacey. I chatted her up enough, trying to give her all the encouragement in the world and calmed her down enough to be able to tell her, "Well, I got my first response too."

"Oh really? That's great, Claud."

I scoffed and said, "Not really. I got rejected too."

She replied sympathetically, "Oh no. I'm so sorry. Which one?"

"Rhode Island. I'm disappointed but it was my third choice."

"Exactly," replied Stacey. "You have three more chances."

I added, "and you have two."

Obviously she'd be going to New York now so I guess I'd have to take my #2 choice and go to New York as well.

Having stopped crying by then, Stacey asked, "wanna go distract ourselves? Food? Movies?"

"Sure. How about a few hours? Like 6:30?" I asked

"Sounds good to me. I'll call Mary Anne and Kristy and see if they can come too." she replied.

Bummer. What a nasty way to start our weekend. Hopefully some good news would be coming our way soon..


	10. Chapter 10

It had been two weeks since my first rejection letter and unfortunately, I got a second rejection from New York. That devastated me more tha anything because now I knew I couldn't be with Stacey. At least SHE had reason to celebrate. She had gotten into NYU, as predicted and actually got into UCLA too. Obviously she chose NYU so she could be closer to all of us and live with her dad. My only hope now was Boston. That would still give me the ability to hop on the train to visit both Stacey in New York and my friends and family in Stoneybrook. I did my best to distract myself from all of this stress by focusing on my schoolwork, my job and trying my best to have fun with my friends.

The two weeks turned to three and it was practically every day I was hearing "I got accepted!" from another classmate, although it was quite interesting to hear where everyone was headed. Abby Stevenson, a former member of our club was going to NYU along with Stacey. Tess Swinhart, a friend of Stacey's was going to school in PARIS of all places! Robert Brewster, Stacey's ex boyfriend was going to college in Colorado. I frantically checked my mailbox the second I got home every day and today, I finally got some hope. An envelope from MCAD had finally arrived and unlike the other two, this wasn't a thin envelope but a nice thick paper sized envelope and I began shaking as walked into my house. I closed the door behind me, opened the top of the envelope and pulled out the top page. The first and only word I saw was:

"Congratulations!"

My knees buckled and then I lost my balance and fell right on the floor. I realized I couldn't breathe either.

I GOT ACCEPTED!

"Yes! I shouted out loud and then screamed, "Mom! Dad!" before realizing they weren't home yet. I ran upstairs to Janine's room but she wasn't there either. I didn't care. I ran through the hallways just like Macauley Culkin in Home Alone, screaming, "I got in! I got in! Ahhhhhh!"

I couldn't wait for my parents to get home so I could tell them. In the meantime, I called all my friends.

My mom hugged me and held me tight when I told her the good news. After she whispered "I'm proud of you," I began crying tears of joy. As she pulled back, I looked at my father and asked, "Dad?" He looked at me and said, "congratulations, honey. I wished you could have gone to a traditional college but I guess as long as you go..then it's..ok."

I know my dad meant well so I accepted his backhanded comments and just brushed it off as my dad just being my dad. They could have told me anything and I really wouldn't have cared. I, Claudia Kishi, former middle school dropout, was going to college!

Since it was Wednesday, I'd have to wait two more days to celebrate with Stacey, who offered to treat me to a "best-friend only" dinner at Pizza Express.

As we shared a small pepperoni pizza, Stacey really didnt seem herself. I mean, she just got into to college. Shoot, I got into college and I was busting at the seams with happiness but she just didnt seem as excited as I was and clearly, something was bothering her.

"Well I brought you here because I needed to talk to you," she said.

This didn't sound good. I said, "Um, ok."

"Well, I've been feeling very torn about what to do," she said. The look on Stacey's face was concerning me.

"What to do? About what?" I asked.

"About college."

"What do you mean? You got accepted," I said as I took a bite of pizza.

"I'm going to go to UCLA," she blurted out.

A big ball of dough got caught in my throat and I couldnt breathe.

"Claudia!" she shouted. "Calm down. Here, take this," as she shoved a drink in my direction. I grabbed it and forced it down, trying to catch my breath. Once I did, she said, "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?" I shouted. "You said you were going to NYU!"

"I know I did. I don't want to leave but I have to. Their math program is better and i just..I need to get away from my mom. She's too overprotective, she still doesn't trust me to take care of my diabetes, she treats me like a baby and I'm sick of it. I talked to my dad already and since I'd still be on his insurance plan, I can find a doctor out there and finally get an insulin pump. My mom still wont let me get one but it would make my life so much easier.

Great. I got the best news of my life and now the worst. My best friend was leaving me. I worked harder than I ever had in my life, getting all those applications and portfolios in and had already pictured what my new life in Boston would be like. The only reason I even applied to college was because of Stacey but I didn't see much of a point of going now if we couldn't be near each other. My life is now ruined.

..and I'd never forgive her for it either.


	11. Chapter 11

I was so mad all week that I didn't even speak to her. I went to lunch every day with Abby and her twin sister, but by Wednesday, it was clear that they were both getting pretty fed up with my constant Stacey-bashing and Anna insisted that I shouldn't be mad at Stacey for wanting to go to a better school and my mom and Janine said the same thing. I knew they were right but I still didn't want to hear it because I was so hurt. The unlikely voice of reason actually came from my dad, who reminded me that I can't be mad at someone for pursuing their dreams. After all, that's what I was doing, right? Once he put that in my head, I felt awful. After not speaking all week, I found Stacey in the hall and stopped her. She whipped around and said "Oh, hey."

I just reached out my arms and hugged her.

"I'm sorry," I said.

She pulled back and said, "it's ok. You had a right to be upset. I just have to do this. You know I have to do this."

I nodded and said, "I know."

Stacey said, "I gotta get to class but meet me at my car at lunch, ok? We're eating off campus again."

I smiled and said, "sounds good."

As all we dug into our lunches, Kristy said, "can you believe it? In just a few months, we'lll all be college students!"

I really couldn't.

"I'm so excited! I can't wait!" exclaimed Mary Anne.

At least Mary Anne and Kristy would be close but the East coast just wouldn't be the same without Stacey McGill.

Thinking it would be too hard for the both of us, I decided not to invite Stacey on the road trip I was going to take with my mother in a few weeks. We were driving to Boston to go visit the campus of my new school. Hopefully the excitement of that trip will help ease the sadness I still felt knowing I'd be saying goodbye to my BFF before she moves 3,000 miles away.

Little did I know that very soon, something would derail those plans.


	12. Chapter 12

Since I didn't have to work after school that day and Stacey did, I accepted a baby-sitting job for Jamie and Lucy Newton. Jamie was 8 years old and Lucy was 5 and I have sat for them for years. Even though the BSC disbanded, I never stopped looking after my favorite charges. When I arrived home, Janine was standing in the kitchen. She just stared at me and it was obvious that she needed to tell me something.

"Um, hey..?" I said hesitantly.

"Claudia, you have some mail. I opened it for you," she stated.

She opened my mail?! What right did she have to do that? I sternly asked, "EXCUSE ME? You can't touch my things, Janine."

She answered, "Well, I know you've been a little depressed lately so.."

I cut her off and yelled, "and what right does that give you to open my mail?!"

Just then she turned around and walked away.

"Get back here, Janine! I'm not done talking to you!" I yelled behind her. She walked right back out with a piece of paper in her hand and held it out in my direction. She said, "this is for you."

I was still furious so I snatched it out out of her hands. Then I looked at it. A shiny blue emblem on the left side caught my eye. Right underneath, I saw the word:

"Congratulations!"

I squinted at the emblem and saw the small print that said "Cal Arts." I read a few more words but then I stopped. I braced myself on the table and looked up at Janine, who just smiled at me and said "Congratulations."

"Thank..you." I stammered.

"Look at you. Two schools."

She held up her keys and said, "take my car. Go tell Stacey."

I definitely broke a few traffic laws as I raced to Washington Mall and was completely out of breath by the time I reached Steven E. I saw Stacey sitting at the cash register and I screamed "Stacey! I got in! I got in!"

She gave me a stunned look as she slowly walked over to me. She said, "Yeah, I know, Claud."

"No! I got into Cal Arts! I just got an acceptance letter!"

Her eyes opened wide and she asked, "WHAT?"

I just nodded.

Her eyes stayed wide open as they started to get watery.

"Oh my gosh. A school in California," she said.

Then she grabbed both of my hands in hers and softly stuttered, "You..your going to..you're going. Right?"

It never even crossed my mind. There was no thought process, no weighing the pros and cons. I just knew immediately as soon as I saw that acceptance letter that I would be going.

"Of course I'm going! I'm going with you! Were going to California! Together!" I shouted as I grabbed her and at the same time, she grabbed me and hugged me tighter than she ever had before. Just the day before, I was still so upset with Stacey and for such a ridiculous reason. Now it was all over. She was going to college and so was I...and we'd be together after all!


	13. Chapter 13

As the graduation march sounded, I looked down at my blue robe and ran my finger through my tassle. Graduating high school was something almost everyone does but there were times where I didn't think that would happen but then so many people convinced me that I was actually worth something. Convinced me that I COULD do it. Kristy and Mary Anne, my lifelong friends who I was going to miss so much. Then Stacey, my best friend. My rock. Now even my parents had gotten behind me, adding to the list of impossible things that have actually happened.

"CLAUDIA KISHI!" boomed a voice on a microphone.

I proudly walked onto the stage and accepted my diploma. I heard cheers on both sides of me. To the left, it was from my parents and Janine and to the right, my friends and fellow graduates. After a minute, Stacey's name was also called but everyone else with a last name from N-Z became a blur and emotions swirled up inside me and I began to cry for what felt like the millionth time in the last few months. I was snapped out of it as I heard the Principal present our graduating class to the audience and that was our cue to toss our graduation caps into the air. In a matter of seconds, Kristy, Mary Anne, Stacey and I were then engulfed in a four way hug. Even though our group was splitting in half, I know we really would be friends forever.

It was a WILD summer and we had so much fun! Cokie Mason seemed to have a moment of conscience and invited the whole class to her house for a graduation party and it was actually a lot of fun. She may have been the bane of our existence for longer than I could remember but man, that girl sure knows how to throw a good party!

All four of us went to Sea City for the Fourth of July and Stacey and I spent a week in NYC with her Dad and step-mom, Samantha. Of course, I couldn't forget the most memorable and epic party event of the summer: My 18th Birthday!

Saying goodbye to Mary Anne and Kristy was harder than I could have ever imagined and we spent hours in my room the day before Stacey and I were leaving, just reminiscing, laughing and crying. I was going to miss our former meeting place that we had spend almost our entire teenage lives in. Luckily, Stacey and I would be back in Stoneybrook for winter break so it would just be a few months until we could see each other again.

Before we knew it, the summer was almost over and Stacey and I were sitting together on an airplane. The engine rumbled before it got even louder and I felt it in my whole body. My mom and Stacey's dad were in the seats next to us but we were pretty oblivious to the both of them and I clasped Stacey's hand tight. It wasn't because I was scared because I've flown dozens of times before. It was because I was so nervous but also so excited.

As the plane lifted off, I watched Connecticut fade into the distance. I laid my head back and closed my eyes, hoping to have a nice nap.

It felt surreal when I stepped outside and filled my lungs with the warm California air. This was my new home and the start of my new life with my best friend by my side. Who knows what the future holds for her or for me..but I couldn't wait to find out!

THE END.


End file.
